Jacob’s Pillow, June 2018
Dance and Dialogue: Indian Classical Solos
Venue: Hudson Guild Theatre, NYC 2018
Commissioned by the Pangea Dance Series Traces of You portrays three different stories. Missing one’s home country, language barriers in a new country and losing a loved one back home. Based on real life experiences, each piece touches upon bittersweet memories, nostalgia and the emotional journey of immigrants after arriving in a foreign country.
Performers: Barkha Patel, Juhi Desai, Ishita Bhattacharya, Deepa Liegel, Ananya Modi Aasheeka Bathija
Embrace of Passion
Venue: Hudson Guild Theatre
Energy is contagious. It swarms in leaps and bounds. Each and every one of us has an opening in our hearts that breathes energy in and out. This piece is about that energy which is positive and makes all of us swell with joy and hope of all things great. As Indian Classical Kathak dancers, we seek this as energy to commune with the divine and take the liberty to share that same divine energy with everyone around us. This energy gives us the ability to perform with strength and grace. The loud footwork combinations and clapping, which is a large part of Kathak dance, depicts that we command this positive energy. The graceful movement portrays that we are receptive to the positive energy and allow it to flow through us.
Barkha Patel: Solo Works
Maula E Kull
Venue: New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Jersey Moves! Emerging Choreographer's Dance Festival In the Indian Classical Kathak dance format, Barkha will perform a Sufi poetry piece called ‘Maula-e-Kull.’ It is a plea of a wandering mystic lost in ecstasy. The devotee is praying to the divine Sufi saints, Haider and Murtaza Ali to cast one glance of mercy and all the obstacles from his path will be removed. The track builds up to ‘Haidari-am’ – the poetry of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
